This won’t exactly come as news but a few intense days of entertaining and being hosted in Paris reminded me how very, very good the French are at hospitality…

Paris
On Tuesday I attended the launch of Air France’s refreshed La Première first class product (new cabin, new Jacquemus pyjamas and a host of consulting chefs) in an elegant building beside the Ritz. While the new suite is a considerate evolution of what’s currently in the air (the same tones and floor-to-ceiling curtains remain), I was more taken by the people component that made the event such a success.

Rather than outsourcing the show-and-tell to an events agency, Air France uses their own specially selected squad of flight attendants for such events. Never have I seen such a poised, informed and chic group of ambassadors – all excited about the new product and all incredibly proud to be in uniform for their country’s flag carrier. One woman, sporting a tame shag coiffure, told me that she’d been with the airline for 32 years and loved flying the route to Haneda almost as much as she loved her Christian Lacroix uniform. A younger colleague, towering next to her (flying for AF for just two years) said he was looking forward to flying with the new product. “I like its softness. It’s not all hard shells and walls; it’s private yet somehow open,” he explained. This was a fine example of how dedicated and passionate people can be just as important as a well-designed product.

Parisdeux
In case you didn’t get enough of the action from our official opening on Wednesday, here are a few more snaps. Many of us will be back in Paris over the coming weeks, so please say hello if you’re nearby. We’d love to show you around.

Reykjavik
Icelandair’s Saga Premium is a distant galaxy from AF’s La Première but it was the only thing that would get me to Toronto on Thursday afternoon. I hadn’t flown through Reykjavik in some time and while the landing was fluffy and gentle, the connection in the terminal is like getting smacked by a side of puffin jerky. Come on Iceland! Pull your thumb out and do better. What was once a cosy, clever place to connect through is now chaotic and no longer fit for purpose. Rather than patching together what they have, Iceland Inc should start from scratch on the other side of Keflavík airfield and build something modern and majestic.

Toronto
Meanwhile, over in Toronto, ticket sales for flights to destinations in the US have collapsed. “Who would have been able to forecast this?” asked a hospitality CEO over drinks. “Canadians will be staying home or travelling to Europe this summer. They’re not vacationing in the US, that’s for sure.” So serious is the mood that one dares not ask for an Americano. It’s Canadianos all the way. Not quite as catchy but I get it.